In the news: Jocelyn Prudence

The new chief executive of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association, Jocelyn Prudence, will have less than a month to avert national industrial action by academic and support staff.

The organisation she will head represents vice-chancellors in negotiations with the trade unions that represent lecturers, researchers and support staff. Last week, union leaders suspended industrial action after the UCEA dropped its opposition to minimum national terms and conditions and agreed to reopen talks on the 3 per cent pay offer.

However, the unions have said that further progress must be made by the end of March. That gives Ms Prudence just 26 days from taking up her post on March 5 to make enough progress on the Bett agenda to prevent the escalation of industrial action.

Her appointment has been cautiously welcomed by the unions.

Ms Prudence has experience of industrial relations in education from her current role as director of employment policy at the Association of Colleges, which she took up in November 1999.

She has worked in public-sector industrial relations for more than 20 years. Former colleagues describe her as "very knowledgeable, energetic, lively, enthusiastic and personable -she was well liked and well respected within the Trades Union Congress".

Prior to her present job, Ms Prudence spent 15 years working for the Chartered Society for Physiotherapy, where she negotiated on behalf of the professions allied to medicine and helped develop the health service human resources policies.

Initially, she was appointed to a regional role of senior industrial relations officer at the CSP. After ten years, she became co-director of industrial relations.

For five years, Ms Prudence was a member of the general council of the TUC.

She started her career in industrial relations in 1979 as a research officer at the Engineers' and Managers' Association, a trade union that represents senior technical and managerial staff in the electricity industry and engineering.